Chapter Forty-Two: The Author’s Miserable Fate (Please add to your favorites, please vote for recommendations!)

“Godfather, where are you going? Are you leaving?”

Seeing Li Shixin neatly packing up all his belongings in his room and laying out the things he intended to take on his bed, Zhang Ying was so startled that she dropped the large plastic bag she was carrying and grabbed hold of Li Shixin’s arm, refusing to let go.

“Silly girl.” Li Shixin patted Zhang Ying’s hand and, seeing her eyes fill with tears on the spot, smiled and said, “With such a good home here, where would I go?”

“Then why are you packing everything up? What are you planning to do?” Zhang Ying pointed at the suitcase Li Shixin had already packed, demanding an explanation.

“I was just about to tell you.” Li Shixin chuckled. “You know, there’s a new film about to start shooting. I’m going out to get a bit of real-life experience.”

He then explained to Zhang Ying his suspicion that his new role might be that of a scavenger. Not wanting to cause Jiao Chendong any trouble, he reminded the two of them not to spread the word, and reassured them once more, “Don’t worry, I’ll just be in Rongdian. I’m not going far.”

Even after Li Shixin’s explanation, seeing the old man leave with nothing but his ID card, Zhang Ying still felt uneasy.

“Godfather, I won’t stop you from getting some life experience. But if you eat out or need to take a cab back late at night, you’ll need some money at least! You should take something with you!”

What, get married out there and find myself a new wife?

Why am I going out in the first place? Isn’t it because I lack life experience? If I carry a bank card with over seven thousand yuan on it, and two or three thousand in cash, eating well at noon and taking a cab home at night, how on earth am I supposed to play a scavenger?

Besides, an old man scavenging outside with that much money on him might just end up getting robbed and tossed into the river.

It’s actually safer to take nothing at all.

While Zhang Ying kept chattering on, Li Shixin could only shake his head with a wry smile. “I’ll be gone for about ten days. During that time, I won’t come home or contact you.”

“That won’t do!” Zhang Ying grew anxious. “You’re not young anymore, and you’re unfamiliar with this place. What if something happens to you out there? You don’t have much time left—”

Realizing she’d put her foot in her mouth, Zhang Ying stopped abruptly and fell silent.

Li Shixin burst out laughing. “You worry too much, my girl! What haven’t I seen in my day? Back then—well, never mind the past. But even now, there’s a police station on every corner. If anything goes wrong, I’ll find a policeman! Even if fate turns against me and I die out there, so what? The earth as my coffin, the sky as my lid, dust to dust and ashes to ashes—I’d die with no regrets! Isn’t that better than suffocating in a hospital bed?”

Seeing Zhang Ying’s eyes fill with tears again, Li Shixin waved his hand, still smiling. “Don’t worry, girl. I’m as healthy as ever! I’ll jump around a bit to show you. Come, take a look!”

With that, Li Shixin bounced on the spot a few times inside the room.

“Wow.” Zhang Shuo watched Li Shixin hopping around like a kangaroo and drew a sharp breath. “You know, little sis, have you noticed? The old man does seem more energetic than when he first arrived.”

At Zhang Shuo’s words, Zhang Ying took a closer look at Li Shixin. “It’s true. He looked terrible the first few days, but lately his complexion’s improved and he seems more lively!”

Li Shixin chuckled inwardly—did they think losing one hundred and thirty days off his age was for nothing?

He waved his hand and slipped on his shoes. “Alright, it’s settled! Girl.”

“Yeah?” Zhang Ying walked up, still full of worry. “Godfather?”

Li Shixin pointed at the mobile phone on his bed. “While I’m gone, make sure my phone is charged. My second daughter is abroad and calls every Sunday night. She didn’t get in touch last week, and she hasn’t answered my calls—must be busy with work. If she calls, just tell her everything’s fine here. Don’t mention my illness, and don’t say I’m in Rongdian—tell her I’m still in Tiancheng, alright?”

“Okay.” Zhang Ying glanced at the battered old phone and nodded. “But if she calls and you’re not here, who should I say I am?”

“Just tell her the truth—that you’re my newly adopted goddaughter. I’m off, then!”

Before Zhang Ying could say another word, Li Shixin slipped out the door with surprising agility.

But just as he stepped out, he turned back and, seeing Zhang Shuo’s expectant face, snorted, “Keep my room for me, and stay quietly in your own place at 502, understand?”

Zhang Shuo’s smile froze instantly.

...

Rongdian had grown up around the film industry, but most of the film sets were on the outskirts. So the city itself wasn’t much different from any other place. Especially in the residential districts, aside from the occasional commotion caused by a few off-duty actors strolling around, nothing much was noteworthy.

Jianhong Community was in the East District. After stepping outside, Li Shixin thought he’d avoid running into Zhang Shuo, Zhang Ying, or any neighbors who might recognize him, so he wandered all the way to the West District.

He’d left at nine in the morning, and by the time he reached the West District, it was already half past eleven.

Along the way, Li Shixin stopped by a gift shop and asked for a net bag to carry some things. He didn’t idle as he walked, and by the time he reached the West Bus Station, he’d already picked up a half-bag of plastic bottles.

He hadn’t had much appetite in the morning and had only drunk a bowl of thin porridge. Normally, with little exercise, he wouldn’t have noticed how little he’d eaten, but after walking all morning, that bit of porridge was far from enough.

That’s how it is—as living conditions improve, you have no appetite when you’re full, but the moment you’re hungry, all the snack shops and restaurants lining the streets become impossible to resist.

Approaching noon, Li Shixin walked with his net bag full of empty water bottles, drawn along by the aromas wafting from every shopfront until his feet almost refused to move.

His stomach rumbled.

Just as he was passing a beef noodle shop, he heard a dull growl.

Huh?

Startled by the sound, Li Shixin paused. He felt his belly—no, that hadn’t come from him.

Turning to the side, he heaved a sigh of relief.

There, sitting on the curb with his back against a suitcase, was a young man, grimacing in pain as he clutched his stomach.

The young man looked to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, short and somewhat pudgy, the picture of suboptimal health. With black-rimmed glasses and heavy dark circles under his eyes, he was clearly suffering from too many late nights and too much junk food.

He looked rather sorry for himself.

His hair was disheveled, neither long nor short; his clothes seemed unwashed for quite some time. On this sweltering late-summer noon, the armpits of his red sweatshirt were soaked through with sweat, giving off a strong cumin-like odor.

As Li Shixin observed, the young man dug around in his pocket for a long time before finally producing a few small bills.

He glanced at the sign outside the noodle shop—“Beef Noodles 18 Yuan, Plain Noodles 10 Yuan”—and Li Shixin couldn’t help but smile.

“Hey, kid. No point counting.”

Li Shixin patted his own backside and walked over to the young man, pointing at the few bills in his hand. “No matter how you count that four and a half yuan, you’re not going to make it ten. Forget about eating noodles today.”

Startled by the sudden voice beside him, the chubby young man looked up. He glanced from Li Shixin to the money in his hand and frowned. “What did you just say?”

Li Shixin set his net bag full of bottles down and plopped himself beside the young man.

With a chuckle, he said, “I said, you poor kid, forget about beef noodles. That money of yours isn’t enough.”

Like the final straw breaking a heavily laden camel’s back, as soon as Li Shixin finished speaking, the young man shuddered all over.

He burst into tears.

“Waaah! How did I, Li Erchun, end up like this?!”